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2.2.4: Copy number variants

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    142269
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    Up to now, we have discussed small polymorphisms, from one base (a SNP) to several hundred (tandem repeats.) However, larger polymorphisms do exist, consisting of tens to hundreds of thousands of basepairs that are duplicated or deleted. We call these polymorphisms structural variations (SVs) or copy-number variants (CNVs).

    Note

    The gene encoding the enzyme AMY1 is found on a copy-number polymorphism. People have been found that have as few as two copies and as many as 16! What impact do you think this variation has on the amount of the AMY1 protein produced in a person's cells?

    Later, we will discuss how CNVs arise and study their phenotypic impact. For now, let's have a look at how we can detect CNVs using a technology we've already seen.

    Detecting CNVs with DNA microarrays

    Recall that the signal intensity of a DNA probe -- it's "brightness" -- on a DNA microarray depends on the amount of DNA bound to it. Imagine if there was a large region of the genome that was just missing on one of the homologous chromosomes. What would you expect to see on the microarray's probes in that region?

    There would be an entire region that would be dimmer! Here's an example, showing a ~5 million basepair region on chromosome 2 that's deleted in this individual. The plot has been flipped around so that lower intensity is to the left and higher intensity is to the right.

    Graphical-representation-of-the-copy-number-variant-CNV-detected-by-CGH-microarray.png

    Image by Jose Luis Castrillo. From Oro et al, A Novel Interstitial Deletion of 2q22.3 q23.3 in a Patient with Dysmorphic Features, Epilepsy, Aganglionosis, Pure Red Cell Aplasia, and Skeletal Malformations. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. 167. (2015) 10.1002/ajmg.a.36806. 

    Note

    What would you expect to see in a duplicated region?


    2.2.4: Copy number variants is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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